The Weight of Waiting
by Ravenwoodwitch
Summary: Link returns to Lon Lon Ranch for a rest, ends one of Hyrule's worst dry spells, and discovers the pain of being left behind on the adventure.


Here I go again, biding time. But hey, I couldn't resist. My friend and me were joking around about Zelda, and she planted the idea in my head. I hope this is the sweet little nugget I aspired for.

Chapter 3 for Harry Potter Fic will be up when I finalize a few things. I got a big plan for it, and it's gonna be awsome. Hope this will make the wait easier!

Disclaimer: Link, Malon, and_ The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_ are property of Nintendo, not mine. I do not own them, the setting, or anything involved.

Edit: I took some time to edit some wordy sections, trying to clean it up.

* * *

_The Weight of Waiting_

**_or_**

_How to end a Hylian Drought._

* * *

Malon could not remember the last time she was this hot.

For two straight weeks no rain graced Hyrule field, or it's neighbors. The sun was unforgiving and the once green, plush fields of Lon Lon ranch were now distinctly brown. Malon felt the full sting of it that morning, milking the cows in the ranch barn. The wooden walls and floors kept as much heat inside as it did outside, and Malon found herself drinking twice as much water in one hour than she would have in two. It was testing, but Malon was never one to fail a trial.

Her father was unimpressed. Talon spent each day chatting, regaling her with horror stories of long-standing dry seasons from his childhood. Each was another stanza in the "When I Was Your Age..." speech he was fond of, which encompassed doing a relatively simple task with an inconvenient method in horrible circumstances for no real reward; and they were always grateful. Today, working on putting fresh hay for the horses, he told her of how they had to fetch water from lake Hylia to drink.

"That's nice papa," Malon answered to one such story, absently picking up the filled milk pail from under a cow.

"Nice?" Talon said, pitchfork frozen in mid-swing. "Well I don't know about that. I mean, Lake Hylia's clear and all that, but we still had to carry huge bags of it with no horses just to fill one glass. But we was grateful."

"Mm-hm."

Talon quirked a brow, giving his daughter a pointed look. Malon's manner and expression spoke of being 'very far away' from today's routine. Her face was plastered with a delighted smile, and Talon caught her eyes drifting every so often to the ranch entrance. Talon had seen this behavior a few times now, ever since they got the ranch back in full swing. The aged-ranch owner put the pitchfork down, prongs first, and leaned against it's wooden handle.

"He's coming back today, ain't he?"

"H-Hm?" Malon stuttered back to reality, "who?"

Talon didn't flinch. "That boy in the green, or red, or whatever. I wager he's coming back today."

Malon frowned, though she did blush. "What makes you say that,Papa?"

"So he is coming back."

"Yes, but what does it matter?"

"_Oh_, I see..." Talon sighed, shaking his head. No, he didn't care for this scenario at all...

Malon narrowed her eyes at him, brows knitting together. "See what? What are you getting at?"

"Oh Mal, I knew this was coming but I didn't think it'd be so soon," Talon said. "If you honestly like the boy so much you really shouldn't put me in this position."

Malon's face continued to contort. "Daddy, he's my friend. And what position, what does this have to do with you?"

"More boys calling for ya, and this one's armed," Talon's mustache twitched as he spoke. "Maybe if I sneak up behind him, I can get one good swing."

"What?!" Malon dropped the pail, thankfully not spilling the milk. "Papa, you can't be serious!"

Talon had gone to grumbling, now stabbing the nearby hay pile with a little more vigor than he should have. "And I sent him off to meet you too. Serves me right for not chasing Ingo off myself."

"Father please!" she chided, face suddenly matching her hair. "I'm a grown woman, and who I like is hardly your business. That wasn't what I was thinking about anyway."

"Then why were you grinin' like that?" Talon asked.

"I'm not allowed to be excited to see a good friend?"

"Well why are you that excited?" Talon's eyes narrowed, mustache twitching dangerously. "There something going on I don't know about? Did he make a move on you?"

Malon picked the pail back up with an irritated sigh. "Papa you're being ridiculous and I don't have to take this. Goodbye."

With milk still in hand, she stormed off, leaving the barn. Talon sighed, his questions remaining unanswered. They hung in his mind like two vultures, and Talon shuddered at the thought of the outcome. Not that there was much he could do about it now.

"Sweet Nayru, give me strength," he sighed, going back to the hay. "Strength not to bash that boy's face into the wood...too hard."

It's difficult to watch your childhood friend swoop in and save your entire home without becoming a swooning maiden, especially when said friend grew to be so handsome.

After a seven year disappearing act, Link had inserted himself into her life like a playing card; it was as if he never left. His repeated appearances at the ranch were beginning to culminate in Malon's mind, and she couldn't help but wonder when she started caring for the sweet, humble, down-to-earth fairy boy.

"Easy going, blindly helpful, and painfully honest," Malon mused, beginning the packing process for the milk. "How can someone remain so unchanged in seven years?"

Malon continued to think on the matter after the milk was packed and ready. She grabbed the feed-basket from it's slot in the henhouse, and sauntered back outside to feed the cuccos. This task was simple, and allowed her time to gather her thoughts. With luck, she'd be be able to figure out why admitting her feelings to Link seemed so hard, and what it was she was really afraid of. It wasn't confusion; she knew exactly how she felt. Could it have been fear? Did she worry over what would happen if he didn't return her affections? Losing a friend was a rather painful process, especially when you knew them for so long.

. "I swoon from a distance while he runs off to various life-threatening situations? No sir..." She scolded herself quietly. "Think harder, Mal..."

She was drawn from her worries by insistent pecking at her feet. One cucco had grown impatient and demanded his share of the grub up front. Ever the friend to animals, Malon smirked and spread out some feed.

"This dry spell's been hard on you guys too, hasn't it?" she said.

A thought perhaps for later. In that moment, all Malon could process was the sound of horse hooves that hadn't come from the corral. Carefully putting the feed bucket back on a hook, Malon sprinted back to the entrance of the ranch.

The price of adventure is steep, but the promise of a respite is the addiction. Link long-since came to know this when he began his own journey, and looked forward to this visit to Lon Lon Ranch quite a bit more. The Shadow Temple had frayed his nerves and he was looking forward to a long, monster-free rest. Feeling very tired and very sore, he gently rode into the ranch, and very carefully dismounted Epona. His feet barely touched the ground when a pair of female hands were flung over his eyes.

"Guess who,Fairy Boy."

Link smiled. "Kind of a give-away, don't you think?"

"Maybe," the redhead joked, before a grin split her face. She moved her arms from his face to his shoulders, squeezing him in a tight hug. Link did his best to wrap his sore arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"It's good to see you!" Malon said. "What happened to you? You look like you fought through an army..."

He chuckled and gave his sword arm a rub. " I kinda wish, really. I just went through the temple in Kakariko graveyard."

"Graveyard?" Malon's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"Eh...It's honestly better if you don't know." Link said, his own face going a little pale, "Is there anywhere I can lay down?"

"Only if you finish your story," The redhead grabbed his arm gently and lead him to the barn. "I'm not a child anymore, Link, I have a right to know what happened to you."

The Hero of time had taken notice of that on his first visit, and hadn't looked away since. He was fascinated by the growth of his friend from a child to a beautiful woman, and watched her with captivated eyes every time he came to call. It was a fun process, trying to figure out how seven-years had turned a freckled-farm-girl into a lovely lady.

"There." Malon sat him down on a soft pile of hay in the barn, their usual talk-spot. She sat herself down next to him as he layed back, taking one of his calloused hands in hers, "now talk."

"Malon," he said softly, "I'm still trying to _forget_ what happened."

She examined a cut on his arm with a frown, her figure noticeably tensing. "Talk. Now."

Link caught a trace of worry in her command, making him frown.

"You sure?" He asked.

"Positive."

So he talked, selectively. She seemed to take the most interest in the beginning of his story when he spoke of the song of storms, the tune learned from the musician in the windmill, and pouted when he refused to tell her about the creature inside the well. He spoke of vanishing platforms, stalfos (she shuddered), the floormasters (leaving out the time he got caught) and various creatures that would be haunting him for the next few nights. The whole thing finished with a brief mention of Bongo Bongo, and the lens of truth. All the while, his friend continued to stare at the wall across from them, her face fixed and indescribable. The only noticeable change was her fingers on his hand, which started to drum as he got into the more dangerous bits.

"It's dead now," He assured her. "I mean, as far as I know it is. I really only saw those hands. But the lens...well, that large red eye is going to be the source of my nightmares for a while. Still, I believe he is definitely gone."

"Sweet Nayru,." Malon's voice was distant. "You went through all that..."

Link frowned. "Isn't that normal for me by now?"

Then, It was Malon's turn to frown.

"It shouldn't be," she insisted. "venturing into evil-buildings to fight murderous monsters shouldn't be anyone's normal.."

"You're right, it really shouldn't." Links shrugged, "But for me, it is, and I have to see it through."

This didn't please the redhead as Link had hoped. Instead, it made her frown deepen, drawing a harsh line on her face.. She didn't respond, and instead took to staring at a wood-knot on the wooden floorboards. Link felt his stomach start a slow decline in the silence, practically feeling the air around them grow thick and tense.

"Malon?"  
No response.

_She must be worried_, he reasoned. He sat himself back up, as painlessly as he could, and put a hand over hers. "I appreciate the worry, but you shouldn't trouble yourself."

Her face tightened. "So what? I pretend that you aren't risking life and limb?"

"Well... no, " he said. "But, maybe you shouldn't let it bother you."

Malon scoffed, standing back up. She plucked up a broom from the wall and began sweeping/assaulting the dirt with an even bigger frown.

"Well Link, maybe it doesn't bother you, but it bothers me," Malon said. "It bothers me every time I see you walk out that gate."

Link was still for the first few moments. He had never seen Malon in such a distressed state, and felt fairly unequipped to deal with her outburst. She was agitated down to her core, with her muscles tense, her actions aggressive and her voice taking on an edge he didn't recognize. However he couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't necessarily mad at him, and that her anger was some kind of precursor.

"Well Malon, what do you want me to do?" Link said. "Abandon the kingdom? You're not the only one counting on me to succeed..."

That was a mistake. Malon's frame went completely stiff, broom halted halfway through a sweep. Her head slowly pivoted to the left, shooting him a glare he did not expect the sweet farm girl to be capable of in a thousand years, let alone seven. She finished her stroke, with white-knuckled fists. She twisted to face him, hands on her hips.

"You're right," she said slowly. "I'm not. So go ahead, run off to danger to make everyone else happy. Forget I ever worried that your luck would run out."

_Clunk._ Link's stomach finished its landing with a noxious crash. The hero had to lower his gaze as Malon stomped over to the door frame. These visits were supposed to be relaxing, his chance to make some sort of connection with his old friend. His duties robbed him of many luxuries, but it was starting to rob him of something more important.

"Din's blazing fury, why is it so bloody hot?!"

Startled, Link jerked his head back up. Malon had stopped at the door to make her outburst, standing in the sun with a cringe and threatening glare to the sky. Link took the sight in for exactly five seconds, watching her wipe perspiration from her brow as the idea slowly crept into his head and planted itself firmer than a magic bean. Spying his chance to become her hero again, and acting before the idea would wiggle away, he jerked himself back upright and left the barn. He grabbed her hand, and began pulling her back towards the fields.

"What are you-"

"Trust me," he said, looking over his shoulder. "Just trust me."

Only he, after a fight, would insist she put blind faith in him. As much as Malon wanted to give it to him, she wanted to give him a piece of her mind that much more. The first dose had obviously not left a big enough dent if he was still acting as if there wasn't a giant problem driving a wedge between them, and she was eager to give her anger another swing. So, as the hero finally released her wrist, she put both hands on her waist, shooting him a glare to pierce his hylian shield. "You know I'm still mad at you, don't you?"

"I'm aware," he said. "But just listen..."

Malon shook her head, crossing her arms with an exasperated sigh. Expecting to hear another trite remark about his duty to the kingdom, she was confused by the sound of rustling. She narrowed her eyes as Link began rummaging in that ungodly pack of his, looking for something in the mix of dangerous weapons. His face lit up, indicative of success, and he pulled out the Ocarina of Time.

"What are you doing?" she said.

Link smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at her. "Ending the drought."

She nodded, the words only mildly bouncing off her heated head. But, after seeing he wasn't kidding, she let her mouth drop open.

"You're serious?" She said. "What could you possibly... wait, are you going to-"

The notes drifted out of the silver-coated instrument, echoing madly off the open space of the field. As the tune floated around their ears, Malon felt her eyes was near perfect copy, a direct cover of the song that floated out and around Kakahriko Windmill. As he finished the sky began to darken above their heads. Thunder rolled, lightning flashed, and the rain fell, the thirsty earth gladly absorbing it in.

Malon stared at Link in surprise, mouth slightly ajar. "You...used your song...to stop the heat?"

"For the whole place, really," Link said, looking around the ranch as the rain continued to soak him. "It all looked like it needed a drink, and you did look kinda miserable."

"You used your...magic ocarina... because I complained about the heat?"

Link blushed. "That's one way to put it."

"It's the only way!" Malon punched him in the shoulder, but laughed while she did so. "The Hero of time is abusing his powers!"

The rain felt cool on her warmed skin, like small bits of caressing ice, and the storm made the standing temperature drop to a wonderful cool. She chided him for abusing his gifts, but felt joy bubble up out of her all the while. Malon was smiling again, and so was Link.

The rain began to slow down, the thunder petering out to a hollow bang. As the light slowly began to return to their gaze, Malon turned hers upright. The storm clouds dissipated, and the sun reared it's head back over them. She frowned again, turning a sideways glance back to Link.

"Can you abuse them a second time?"

Link grinned, and brought the Ocarina back to his lips.

The Hero of time proceeded to serenade his farm girl with the Song of Storms. As the rain poured down again, Malon's face lit up, and her laughter echoed around the field again. She threw up her hands and spun around, the wet grass lapping at her stockings, and the rain continuing to soak her.. As Link finished his second rendition of the song, she grabbed him by the wrists and spun him around with her.

And it continued. As the rain began to weaken, she shook her head, " More!"

He gave her more. He gave her that rainstorm four times that day, soaking the both of them down to the bone. Despite being wet enough to be sick, the couple continued to dance in the surrounding puddles like two children. It was only when he finished his fourth play, out of breath at last, that he felt Malon tackle him from behind.

"Why do you come up with the best ideas when I'm mad at you?" Malon asked, euphoric and wet. Link paused, and answered in a slow voice.

"So...you're still angry?"

Malon sighed, and loosened her grip on him. As wonderful and happy as this little experiment had been, it had only served to stave off the inevitable. Knowing well that she couldn't keep this to herself anymore, she tightened her grip again, letting her arms settle around his waist.

"Not mad, just scared." She buried her face in his back, "What...if you don't come back?"

Silence followed, broken by the thunder above them. As rain continued to pelt both of them, Malon felt as if she took the lid off a very volatile pot. Now, with her heart pounding in her chest, all she could do was wait, and see what her friend would do.

First, he pocketed the silver instrument. Then he placed a rough hand over hers. "You know I can't promise I'll come back."

Malon cringed, and her grip on his tunic tightened.

"Link, do you have any idea what it would do to me for you to leave?" she begged. "Do you have _any_ clue how I feel about you?"

There it was, out and vulnerable. Link stood still, and Malon felt her whole frame shake in horror. Their friendship may have been over after one of the best moments it had.

Too terrified of rejection, Malon's grip became lax when she felt him move. Her limbs dropped to her side, expecting the deserved lecture, and not at all anticipating the strong arms wrapping around her. She took it anyway, embracing Link with a fresh batch of either tears or raindrops in her eyes.

"Let me finish," he said, rather insitantly. "I can't promise I'll make it back, but I can promise you that I will try. I will try with everything I have.."

His hand gently found the back of her head, and brought her face up to his. Malon closed her eyes as the boy's lips crashed down on hers, finally sealing off all the space between them. Malon wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back passionately. She was physically exhausted from their dance, emotionally exhausted from all the adrenaline, but by the goddesses she was going to put as much emotion into that kiss as she could.

They pulled back for air and, he moved to run his hand through her wet, red hair. "I'll stay alive. I'll do everything I can to stay alive, and I will make my way back to you; you have my word."

It was a piecrust promise, but it was exactly what she wanted in that moment. Malon shuddered, then kissed him a second time. The two embraced as the rain petered out for the fourth time, the sun finally returning from it's long rest period. The two pulled apart again as the sun hit them, producing a much more mild heat. Malon, not ready to end today, smiled back at Link.

"One more time?"

Link smirked, and reached back into his pack. " Fine, but this is the last time."

She giggled, resting her head on his shoulder. "That a promise?"

"Maybe," he said, pulling the ocarina back out. "Depends on how bad a cold I get from all this."


End file.
